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Zidane set to miss start of finals

A worried man: Zidane sits on the bench after limping off on Sunday

SEOUL, South Korea -- Zinedine Zidane is likely to miss the start of France's World Cup defence.

The 29-year-old midfielder is almost certain to be sidelined for the first two games after injuring his thigh in Sunday's 3-2 warm-up win over co-hosts South Korea.

The results of a scan on Monday showed the extent of the injury and led news bulletins in France, knocking down the visit of U.S. President George W. Bush.

"The hard blow," said daily newspaper Le Parisien, which carried five pages of World Cup news. "Without him, the world and European champions have neither the same fluidity nor the same efficiency."

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Zidane, who scored two of the goals when France beat Brazil in the 1998 final, limped off during the first half of Sunday's match and sat on the bench holding an ice pack to his thigh and looking downcast.

News about the $64 million Real Madrid midfielder -- the world's most expensive player who made his international debut in 1994 -- was delivered by French Football Federation head Claude Simonet.

"I have some slightly worrying news," he told French radio. "I've just been told the results of the x-ray and Zinedine Zidane will be absent for two matches. If you want to be world champions, you have to be prepared to play from time to time without one of your stars."

Zidane, who scored a spectacular winner for Real Madrid in the European Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen on May 15, joined the French squad last Monday after staying in Marseille for the birth of his third son, Theo.

France open the tournament against Senegal in Seoul on Friday before playing Uruguay in Busan on June 6. Denmark are the other team in Group A.